


Letter From Your Sweetheart

by alba17



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Actor Steve Rogers, Bucky at war, Captain America: The First Avenger, Gen, Gen or Pre-Slash, Letters, M/M, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, can be read as slash or gen, captain america on tour, star spangled man
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-08
Updated: 2016-01-08
Packaged: 2018-05-12 12:05:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5665474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alba17/pseuds/alba17
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During the Captain America tour, one of the dancers is curious about Steve’s pre-show ritual.</p>
<p>“What’s that you got there?” one of the dancers asked Steve. Betty was her name. “Letter from your sweetheart?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Letter From Your Sweetheart

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Snowflake Challenge Day 4, inspired by a comment_fic prompt: “saving the first piece of mail ever received."

“What’s that you got there?” one of the dancers asked Steve. Betty was her name. “Letter from your sweetheart?” 

Steve’s face heated and he quickly folded the letter over so she couldn’t see the handwriting. “Naw, just a friend.” He put it back in his pocket. The paper was worn, crinkled and softened, and he handled it carefully so as not to tear it.

“Don’t ya have a sweetheart?” Betty cocked her hip and looked at Steve like she was sizing him up. They were backstage in Minneapolis, the umpteenth stop on a cross-country tour. Other dancers rushed past in a hurry to get ready for the show. “That’s hard to believe.” With narrowed eyes, she gave him a slow once over. “Big bruiser like you.”

Steve had been down this road before. Being the star of the show and one of the few men on the tour, he was often the target of speculation and come-ons. “Jeez, Betty, you know I don’t.”

“I seen you lookin’ at that letter before every show. Why else would you do that? Unless it’s from your mom. Oh god, you’re a mama’s boy, aintcha? I knew it.” She looked off in the distance. “Damn, now I owe Sue a dollar.”

“Nope, my ma’s dead.” 

“Oh god, I’m sorry.” She looked him over again. “Maybe you’d like to go out for drinks after the show, talk about it? I know how to make a man feel a whole lot better.”

Steve sighed. Last time he’d tell one of the girls about _that_. “Listen, I’d love to talk, but I gotta get my make-up done.”

“Oh hush, there’s plenty of time.” She put the tip of her index finger on his chest. “I bet you need help getting out of this tight uniform after. Know what I mean?”

Steve wasn’t immune to the girls’ charms—he’d gone out with one or two of them, mainly for something to do, someone to talk to—but Betty wasn’t one of them. Betty had a mouth on her and was known to gossip. He didn’t need that. He had his hands full, what with getting used to this new body and performing in the show. And then there was the time he started talking about Bucky with one of the girls and he couldn’t shut up. It was only ‘cause he missed Bucky like crazy. Sometimes things only seemed real when he could tell Bucky about them and so much had happened since Bucky shipped out, with the serum and becoming Captain America, Steve was bursting. 

He stepped back, away from Betty’s finger. “No, thanks. After the show I’m bushed.” 

Betty’s face hardened and she dropped her hand. “You went out with Patsy, I heard.”

“Betty, lay off.”

She crossed her arms. “Only if you tell me who the letter’s from.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “It’s private.”

“You _do_ have a sweetheart. Why’d ya lie?”

“I didn’t lie.” He smirked. “Did ya forget I’m Captain America? Not allowed to lie.” He still enjoyed pulling that one out.

“Oh please.”

“I really don’t have a sweetheart. Just a good friend.”

“Uh-huh. Coulda fooled me, the way you look at that letter all the time.” She let out a resigned breath. “Okay, okay. I’ll leave you alone.” With a raised eyebrow, she added, “Think about goin’ for a drink, though, all right? You can tell me about your ‘friend.’ Is he a soldier?”

“Betty. Make-up.”

She held her hands up. “I’m going, I’m going.” With a little wave, she turned to leave, then sing-songed, “I’m a good listener. You can cry on my shoulder.”

“Break a leg, Betty.” 

She disappeared down the corridor towards the dressing room. Relieved, Steve returned to completing his pre-show ritual. Bucky had done his duty and now Steve was doing his, even if a theater in Minneapolis was a whole lot safer than Europe. He kept telling himself this was part of the war effort too, even if he was frustrated at not being in the war itself. Reading the letter made him feel better about everything, expunged some of the guilt for being in a show wearing tights instead of fighting. 

He pulled out the letter to finish reading it. Well, re-reading it. Not that he even needed to because he had it memorized, but it was comforting to look at Bucky’s handwriting, to know that Bucky had written those words with his own hand. It was the one and only letter Steve had gotten from Bucky in Europe. He gently spread it out on his thigh. 

_Tired as fuck but can’t sleep, so I’m writing this in the dark. Food terrible but at least it’s regular. Can’t complain. Some good fellas in our company. You’d like them. None from Brooklyn, but that’s not their fault. They say we’re heading out tomorrow. Finally. I’m nervous but I keep telling myself that’s why I’m here and I just need to buck up and do my best._

_Can’t say I wish you were here. Don’t keep trying to join up, pal. I need you to stay where you’re safe so I have someone to come home to. That’s what’s keeping me going. I can get through anything if I know you’re back at home, waiting for me._

A knot in his chest, Steve’s finger underlined the familiar sentences. Bucky _was_ a good friend, the best. He just hoped they’d both pull through this war and see each other on the other side. With the serum, Steve had a pretty good chance even if—when he saw combat. Bucky, he was just a regular guy. Steve tried not to worry that he’d only gotten the one letter from him. There could be lots of reasons for that, not just—well, the worst one. He folded the letter up one last time, put it in his pocket and headed back to the dressing room to become the Star-Spangled Man, reinvigorated.

**Author's Note:**

> Say hi on [tumblr](http://annaluna.tumblr.com/).


End file.
